Drawer slide for cabinets



Nov. 3, 1953 H. c. SOEHNER DRAWER SLIDE FOR CABINETS V BX 369 ]1 Filed Jan. 6, 1950 Zhmemor Howard C 50e/mer Gttorneg Patented Nov. 3, 1953 2,657,968 DRAWER SLIDE FoR CABINETS Howard C. Soehner, Louisville, Ky., assignor to The Mengel Company, ration of New Jersey Louisville, Ky., a corpo- Application January 6, 1950, Serial No. 137,052 3 Claims. (01. 312-430) This invention relates to cabinet construction and has particular reference to articles of furniture which have slidable drawers.

Certain types of cabinets or case goods having openings for conventional drawers are equipped with slide rails for supporting the drawer while at rest and while withdrawn and extend from the openings to the opposite or back side of the case. Such rails have horizontal faces disposed in line with the usual drawer rail extending across the opening. Each slide rail also is provided with a vertical face integral therewith and juxtaposed to the outside faces of the sides of the drawer to function as a guide rail and to retain the drawer in line with the opening, also to prevent engagement with and damage to the exposed edges of the opening.

In manufacturing it is relatively a simple matter to locate and secure these rails to the cabinet so that the horizontal faces function for supporting the weight of the drawer. However, to locate correctly and secure the rails so that the vertical faces will guide the drawer withoutcontact with the exterior case is quite difficult and often requires relocating or reshaping the rail and/or the drawer when the cabinet reaches the final assembly.

After such conventional cabinets have reached the user and exposed to higher humidity than at the point of manufacture, the wood of the drawer and cabinet expand to a degree that causes binding.

Binding from vertical expansion has been eliminated by providing a vertically disposed metallic rub bar anchored at one end adjacent the bottom of the sides of the drawer and the upper end extended for sliding contact with the upper rub rail as disclosed in currently pending application Serial No. 18,445, filed April 1, 1948, now Patent No. 2,619,400, by Charles Kramer and entitled, Furniture Construction. To provide means by which the vertical faces of the guide rail can be adjusted expeditiously at point of manufacture or by the user to relieve or prevent lateral binding of the drawers is the principal object of this invention.

Another object of this invention is to provide means by which drawers can be correctly positioned in cabinets without the procedure of fitting at point of manufacture, thus reducing cost of manufacture.

A further object of this invention is to con struct the slide rails for the reception and support of an integral partition in sliding relation thereto in order to replace with conventional dust panels and the involved mounting therefor, thereby reducing cost of manufacture and providing for the removal of the dust partition for cleaning.

With reference to the accompanying drawings, which discloses a preferred embodiment of this invention:

Figure 1 is an isometric view of a cabinet or case looking into the open front end thereof, showing three pairs of slide rails for carrying drawers and dust panels supported by the rails.

Figure 2 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale of a portion of Fig. 1 at plane 2, looking downwardly to show primarily a slide rail as assembled thereon for use.

Figure 3 is a sectional view of Fig. 1 at plane 3 looking rearwardly, also on an enlarged scale.

Figure 4 is a section of Fig. 2 at line 4-4.

Referring to the drawings in detail, numerals l0 designate corner posts, each having longitudinal grooves ll into which are mounted the vertical edges of side panels I 2 according to well known practice. Likewise, the top 13, back B may be secured as shown by any suitable practice. Drawers have not been shown or indicated. However, the lower left hand corner of a drawer l3, Fig. 3, shows the bottom face M of side [5 of the drawer carried by slide rail I6 and the outside vertical face of [5 juxtaposed in slidable relation to guide rail 17. It is to be understood that this relation of the corresponding elements is to be employed through the structure as indicated by the designating numerals.

Each of the devices for supporting the drawers consists of a compound structure, slide rail 16, fixed permanently at their ends to posts ID by horizontally disposed screws [8 (Figs. 2 and 3) and guide rail ll superimposed thereon in adjustable relation thereto and secured thereto by vertically disposed screws [9. These screws H! are threaded into the slide rails and pass through slotted holes 2| in the guide rails. Thus, it will be apparent that the guide rails associated with each drawer can be adjusted to the varying widths of the drawers so that the latter may be slid freely and that in the event binding due to varying humidity and/or temperature develops after the cabinet is in use by the owner, the latter can overcome the difiiculty by making the adjustment without refitting, such as sanding or planing material from the guide slide or the drawer.

Provision for adjusting guide rail I! while the drawer is at the closed position (within the cabinet) is accomplished by the structure shown best in Fig. 4. Bell-mouth hole ISA receives a nail, or similar tool, the point of which projects into blind hole 11A, thereby providing means by which the guide rail may be shifted or set, before being secured by screws 19, to provide the desired clearance for the sides of the drawer. With the leverage thus provided, moderate friction between the juxtaposed faces of the rails, determined by means of screws l9, can be overcome thereby locating the guide rails, which rails may then be made secure by removing the drawer and tightening the screws.

The slide rails are fashioned to supply another function. The inwardly projecting ends are utilized to slidably support dust partitions 2,0. This is accomplished by providing grooves .22 :in said ends. In Fig. 1 the upper pair of these grooves are shown as unoccupied, while the middle pair support a dust panel in place for use and the dust panel at the bottom is illustrated as beingpar- .7

tially extended. As is well understood, the panels over the top of the drawersfunction 'to prevent dust from settling in the drawers-while the bottom panel, likewise, prevents dust from entering the case from below. Obviously, these panels may be readily removed fzcrcleaninel claim:

1. A composite device for supporting and guiding a slidable ,drawer, comprising ,a slide rail adapted for attachmentto a cabinet for supporting each side member ,of the .drawer, a guidera-il superimposed on Land in contact with the slide rail for guiding the drawer and having ,a face parallel and juxtaposed to but spaced from .the ath of an outsideside face of the drawer;..said slide rail having a bell-mouth through hole disposed adjacent each end thereof; .said guide rail having a blind hole disposed in alignment with said through holes so thattheend of a nail or the like can be passed through the .bellmouth hole and into the blind hole for moving .the saidguide rail with respect to a drawer lodged on the slide rail.

2. The combination of a slidable drawer, a cabinet for receiving the drawer and a pair of composite devices for carrying and guiding the drawer, each of said devices comprising a slide rail attached to the cabinet under each side member of the drawer, a guide rail superimposed on and in contact with the slide rail and having a face parallel and juxtaposed to the outside face of said sidetmember; saidzslide rail having a bellmouth through hole disposed adjacent each end thereof; said guide rail having a blind hole disposed in alignment with said bell-mouth hole so that the iendof a nail or the like can be passed through the bell-mouth hole and into the blind hole'for adjusting the guide rail laterally toward -and-away from ithe outside face of the drawer when it-is within the cabinet, and another means for locking the rails together against relative movement.

-3. Ina composite device for carrying and guiding a slidable drawer, icomprising a slide rail adaptedeforattachment toa cabinet for supportingeach sidememberofthedrawer; a guide rail for the drawer superimposed upon said slide rail in adjustable frictional contact therewith; said slide rail ,havinga through hole; said guide rail having ,ablind hole'disposed in substantial alignment with the through ,hole so that the end of a tool can enter the blind hole and the side of the tool engage the wall of the through hole for effecting movement of the guide rail.

HOWARD C. SOEHNER.

References 'Cited in the fi1e of this patent UNITED :STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 405,098 Kendall June 11, 1889 858,420 Schneider July 2, 1907 2,425,610 Finley -,--r- Aug. 12, 1947 2,506,958 liallenbeck, May 9, 1950 

